The disastrous 2020 Eagles season mercifully ended with a 20-14 loss to the Washington Football Team Sunday night. There's not a lot to take away from this individual game with the Eagles clearly (and correctly) prioritizing improved draft position, so while there were some clear duds and maybe a legitimate stud or two, we'll take some liberties with the handing out of those labels in our final studs and duds column of the season.
STUD: Alex Singleton
Singleton continued to be a bright spot for the Eagles while also casting significant doubt on the abilities of the coaching staff and front office who insisted on subjecting us to Nate Gerry until he was injured. Singleton again piled up double-digit tackles while adding a sack, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit on Sunday. He's played with infectious energy, has flown around the field, and has given the Eagles some much-needed productivity and impact from the linebacker position. Singleton was one of the few season-long bright spots for the Eagles, and he ended his season with more of the same.
DUD: Jalen Hurts
Yes, Hurts kept the Eagles in the game before being pulled in the fourth quarter. He generated two touchdowns with his legs while rushing eight times for 34 yards. But he had a terrible night through the air, completing just 7/20 passes for 72 yards and tossing an interception. He missed some throws and posted a dismal 25.4 rating. The Eagles have some serious questions at the quarterback position, which is a concerning proposition considering all the other holes on the roster.
STUD: Malik Jackson
Jackson piled up five tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit Sunday night. The defense did enough to keep the Eagles in the game, and Jackson played a role in that. On a night where there wasn't a whole lot to like, Jackson provided at least the semblance of a bright spot.
DUD: The Wide Receivers
Yes, this brings us back to the questions we've asked all season: How can we evaluate how to fix this team when there is so much poor play from so many position groups? That certainly applies here, as it's almost impossible to decipher whether the receivers struggled because the QB play from Hurts and Nate Sudfeld was poor or if the quarterbacks looked bad because the receivers can't catch/get open/run the correct routes.
What we do know is that this group produced just six catches for 82 yards on Sunday night. That's pitiful. Six wide receivers received at least one target, with five of those six actually hauling in a pass. In today's NFL that is laughable, and it's certainly a big part of why this season went so sideways for the Eagles.
STUD: Zach Ertz and Jason Kelce
This has less to do with anything either player actually did Sunday night. Kelce was fine, and Ertz snagged three catches for 16 yards. But this may have been the last time we see either of them in an Eagles uniform, and if that is the case for one or both of them, we want to take a moment to appreciate what they've done for this franchise.
Both were instrumental to the Eagles claiming their first Super Bowl, with Ertz catching the game-winning touchdown. The Eagles record book, as well as the NFL's, is littered with Ertz's name. Kelce was a stalwart on an offensive line that was for a while a strength of this team, and his versatility was key in allowing the Eagles to do a lot of what they did on offense back in better days. His toughness and competitiveness are as Philly as it gets.
If we don't get to see or evaluate Ertz and/or Kelce in an Eagles uniform again, we wanted to make sure to give them their flowers. Thank you Zach and Jason, you were absolute studs for this organization.
